The optimal management of a non-renewable resource extraction project is studied when input and output prices follow correlated stochastic processes. The decision problem is specified by two Bellman equations describing the project when it is currently operating or mothballed. Solutions are...

We study how investors in a conservative Muslim society react to announcements of bank loans depending on their compliance with Shari'a law. We hand-collect 173 announcements of bank loans granted to listed corporations in Saudi Arabia, assess their issuance and estimate the reaction of the...

In April 2012, Delta Air Lines (Delta) purchased a mothballed oil refinery. We use this case to illustrate when, how, and why vertical integration can hedge input price risk. First, we show that stockholders and creditors expected the move to create wealth. Consistent with their predictions,...

We show how in Saudi Arabia, a country that relies heavily on crude oil exports, negative shocks in crude oil prices significantly impact households’ decisions to invest in education. Specifically, we find that the oil down cycle that started in the second half of 2014 compelled parents to...

This paper investigates whether convenience yield is an important factor in determining optimal decisions for a forestry investment. The Kalman filter method is used to estimate three different models of lumber prices: a mean reverting model, a simple geometric Brownian motion and the two-factor...

This paper uses a real options approach to examine the impact of ramping rate restrictions imposed on hydro operations to protect aquatic ecosystems. We consider the effect on profits from electricity generation in order to inform policy decisions about ramping rate restrictions. A novelty of...

This paper investigates the impact of including the risk of fire in an optimal tree harvesting model at the stand level, assuming timber prices follow a mean-reverting stochastic process. The relevant partial differential equation is derived under different assumptions about hedging the risk of...

This paper develops a model of a profit maximizing firm with the option to exploit a non-renewable resource, choosing the timing and pace of development. The resource price is modelled as a regime switching process, which is calibrated to oil futures prices. A Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation is...

In this paper option pricing theory is used to analyse whether or not to preserve a wilderness area. A numerical approach is demonstrated that can be applied to any generalized stochastic process. The impact of assuming that amenity value follows a logistic process, rather than geometric...